15-Seed Penn State Set to Host Providence in NCAA Second Round15-Seed Penn State Set to Host Providence in NCAA Second Round

15-Seed Penn State Set to Host Providence in NCAA Second Round

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (12-3-3) is set for its first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years when it hosts Providence College in the second round Sunday at Jeffrey Field. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and will stream live on BTN Plus.
 
GAME INFORMATION

  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
  • Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Jeffrey Field
  • Live Stats: ncaa.com | Watch: BTN Plus
  • Tickets: $8/adults, $5/students, $3 youth/groups – available for purchase at both gates on gameday at Jeffrey Field.

PENN STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

  • Penn State is 28-31-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as it makes its 33rd overall appearance and first since 2014 on Sunday.
  • The Nittany Lions earned the No. 15 seed, their first national seeding in the tournament since 2010 when they were also No. 15.
  • Penn State is 22-7-1 all-time in the tournament at home.
  • See the full 2019 NCAA Tournament bracket here.

PENN STATE AGAINST PROVIDENCE

  • Sunday's game will mark the first meeting in program history between Penn State and Providence.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE

  • Providence is 15-6-0 overall coming off a 2-0 win over NJIT in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
  • Five Friars have recorded 14-plus points in 2019, with Joao Serrano (4G, 9A) and Paulo Lima (8G, 1A) leading the team with 17 each.
  • In net, Austin Aviza holds a 0.92 goals against average and a .716 save percentage.
  • The Friars shut out 11 opponents, including the Highlanders on Thursday.
  • With two wins over a ranked St. John's team, Providence is No. 14 in the NCAA's latest RPI rankings.

BIG TEN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

  • Four Big Ten programs earned spots in the NCAA Tournament, three all with national seeds and first-round byes, including the Nittany Lions.
  • Maryland won its first-round game and will face No. 4 Wake Forest in the second round.
  • No. 13 Michigan will host Wright State and No. 5 Indiana will host Kentucky in the second round Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT

  • Penn State saw its eight-game unbeaten streak come to an end in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals as Michigan won, 1-0.
  • Both teams played very tactical soccer in the first half as Penn State held a slight advantage in shots at the break, 4-2.
  • The Nittany Lions' best look at the net came in the 12th minute when Pierre Reedy was able to play a ball through to Christian Sload but his shot was blocked by Michigan's goalkeeper.
  • In the 62nd minutes, Penn State freshman goalkeeper played out of the box and an unfortunate foul set up a Michigan free kick in which Jack Hallahan scored for the eventual 1-0 winning scoreline.

TOP-25 RPI

  • Penn State slipped a little in the most recent NCAA RPI ranking of the 2019 season to No. 20.
  • Five other 2019 opponents rank in the top 25, including Providence at No. 14.
  • See the complete RPI rankings here.

WELL-ROUNDED OFFENSE

  • 17 different Nittany Lions have recorded points in the 2019 season, including 13 different goal scorers.
  • Penn State has scored 36 goals so far, the most since the 2014 season when they scored 29.
  • Freshman Liam Butts leads the team with nine goals while seniors Aaron Molloy and Christian Sload have added eight and five, respectively.

NEXT TIME OUT
The winner of this second-round game will play the winner of No. 2-seed Clemson/Charlotte on either Saturday, Nov. 30 or Sunday, Dec. 1. The third-round contest would be played at the higher seeded school's home field.